Four Friends from Buffalo Meeting attended the Powell House event February 2-4, 2024: Friends Decision-Making and Clerking: Participating in Meetings for Business With Joy & Confidence.
Carl Trost has attended Buffalo Friends Meeting for less than a year; John Spears for just under two years; Zahraa Al-Sharifi for around three years; and Nadine Hoover for about six years. The group brought fresh and varied perspectives.
The leaders, Steve Mohlke of Ithaca Friends Meeting and O. from Central Philadelphia Friends Meeting, shared:
Qualities of a Meeting for Business Held in a Spirit of Worship
A core sense that we are One in the Spirit and that we are in this together
Openness to the promptings of Spirit and the movement and direction of spiritual energy
Careful, deep listening
Respectful inclusion of others
Respectful speaking
Willingness to change one’s mind
The use of silence (as an ally) in support of the process
“We are here to worship and not to get through an agenda. The meeting for business is over when the worship is over. We wondered [the reasons] people [dribble out] … feel free to leave. Perhaps we need to release the remaining agenda if the workshop is over” (Friends Consultation of Worship, Richmond IN 1989).
They mentioned when a Friend shares a concern, the clerk may ask, “Do others share this concern?” The response gives the whole group a sense of how widely the concern is shared. Regardless, once the concern is shared, it becomes a concern of the body. Spirit speaks to us as a body through individuals, then we collectively consider the concern as “our concern,” not as a particular individual’s concern. The group asks itself, “Does this concern carry enough spiritual weight to warrant changing our direction or taking more time?”
We discussed how Friends are not seeking a consensus of the membership. Friends gathered are seeking the direction of Spirit for us collectively, which “can only arise out of a membership which has in fact given itself over to seeking the will of God and has prepared itself spiritually for the search.” Discernment “can only be done after the manner of Friends from the deep centering that can arise in an atmosphere of worship. That is why we begin our meetings with a time for … worship” (Patricia Loring).
The leaders shared David Watt’s (2005) reframing of the focus from seeking “God’s will” to seeking “a Godly outcome.” “When we speak this way, we are less tempted to think that there is only one possible outcome of which God would approve.” This harkened back to historical texts they began with: “But the harvest of the Spirit is love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-25). Reminding us to notice the fruits of discernment as a critical test. Does my contribution lead to these fruits? If not, can I turn my emotions or rigid positions over to Spirit as the Guide?
They invited us to consider the advantages of a non-voting approach and compare sense-of-the-meeting and consensus. In Friends’ approach to business rather than focus on the decision, we were invited to focus on getting to know Spirit by opening to Spirit revealed through each other. “A sense of the meeting is an awareness of how the Spirit has moved among us. … [It] may or may not contain within it a decision. It may simply be a statement of how a matter was processed and a record that no specific action was taken” (Larrabee, 2016). It may also record a resonant set of directions or conclusions around which Friends are easy or in accord.
The leaders also addressed some technical aspects. When the clerk proposes a sense of the meeting, possible responses may be:
I approve.
I’m not clear. I don’t sense we’re ready to decide.
I’m not comfortable / clear / easy with this, but I’d like to stand aside.
I object. I’m not in unity.
When someone is not united with the sense of the meeting, hopefully the reasons will be shared as early as possible so Friends have time to spiritually consider and weigh the concerns. Again, the concerns become the community’s concerns, not the individual's (Larrabee/Mohlke, 2021).
When a sense of the meeting is stated, rather than asking for approval, it helps to ask, “Is anyone uneasy with this sense of the meeting? Does anyone have any concerns about this? Are there any concerns that need to be heard before we move on?” If no concerns are raised, then the clerk may say, “Hearing no concerns, let’s hold the Recording Clerk in worship while this is recorded in a minute.” When the minute is read back, then ask, “Do Friends approve?”
The body of Friends may approve a minute once considering all the concerns. A condition of standing aside is that the member be willing to support the decision. It is the meeting’s decision, however, to accept a member’s willingness to stand aside because they feel sufficient spiritual weight.
“Standing aside should be an infrequent occurrence. If it happens too often, or if there are more than one or two people staying this at any one time, there may be other problems or issues that should first be given attention” (Larrabee/Mohlke, 2021). The meeting may or may not minute that a Friends stood aside and/or the concerns. Friends may not feel the need to stand aside if concerns are recorded for future reference, such as: “Recognizing and taking into account [x, y, and z] concerns, the meeting approves moving ahead with [the stated decision].” Problems encountered later may have their roots in some of these concerns, so it may help the meeting to have them noted, especially if it is a large group undertaking.
The leaders noted that Friends may not “stand in the way” of a meeting decision. The responsibility of the meeting is to yield to Spirit among us. “The group takes action, not the individual. If a person says, “I’m not in unity,” the lack of unity may keep the group from going forward. … The group seeks and takes time to find unity because unity affords confidence in the sense of the meeting.” (Larrabee, 2013). And yet the group does not give anyone veto power over the sense of the meeting; our obligation is to yield to spiritual direction through our best sense of the meeting.
Much, much more was covered! We hope to find time after meeting to share what we learned from our wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Thank you to Buffalo Friends Meeting for the encouragement and support to explore more deeply our Quaker faith and practice.